Gluten-free

Iakhni is a specialty of the Ajara region—people from other parts of Georgia may not have heard of it. Its deep orange color comes from dried marigold, which was historically passed off as the much more expensive saffron and has since become one of the defining features of Georgian cuisine. A dish of the same name appears in various forms across South Asia and the Middle East. It’s likely this dish was brought to Georgia by the Ottomans.

In Ajara this dish is typically made with fatty brisket that is boiled until tender, but short ribs are easier to find in the US and come out beautifully when braised (cooked long and gently in nearly enough liquid to cover them).

In a heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, sear short ribs in oil until well-browned on two sides.

Add onions, salt, pepper, and other spices. Mix well and cook another 5 minutes until onions are tender.

Add garlic, ground walnuts, and enough stock or water to nearly cover the meat. Bring nearly to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer over very low heat for 2-3 hours, turning the meat occasionally, until the meat is very tender and easily falls off the bone. (If your pan is oven-safe, you can also let the meat braise in a 300 F oven for a few hours. A Dutch oven is ideal for this.)

Remove the meat from the bones completely before serving with a ladleful of sauce alongside khachapuri, bread, or corn cakes.

Grape vines criss-cross Georgia like telephone wires. Cooks in other parts of the country often stuff them with a mixture of beef and pork, but an all-beef filling is more popular in the Ajara region bordering Turkey, where Ottoman influences run deep and many people consider themselves Muslims.

Drop the grape leaves into boiling water for 1 minute to soften them. Shock them under cold water and drain them well.

Mix the filling ingredients together. It’s helpful to cook a spoonful of it so you can taste it and adjust the seasoning as necessary before stuffing the leaves with it.

Line the bottom of a pan with grape leaves to keep the rolls you’re about to cook from sticking.

Stuff the rest of the grape leaves: lay a leaf on a flat surface, dull side up. Drop a teaspoon or so of the filling near the stem end, fold the sides of the leaf in to cover it, then roll up and press the tip into the roll as if you were sealing an envelope.

Layer the stuffed grape leaves in the pan, seam side down, in concentric circles. Weigh them down with a plate.

Pour in enough salted water to cover the stuffed grape leaves up to the level of the plate. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until meat is cooked and rice is tender.

While the rolls are cooking, puree the yogurt, garlic, and salt together to make a sauce.

When the rolls are cooked, remove them from the water carefully using a slotted spoon or spatula. Serve warm with a little sauce drizzled over them. I like to drizzle them with a touch of pomegranate molasses as well, which is not traditional but tastes wonderful.

Corn grits are a staple across western Georgia, where you’re likely to find them piled on a plate with slices of smoked sulguni cheese sticking up from their depths like sharks’ fins. In Georgian, plains grits are called ghomi, while grits with cheese mixed in are elarji. I love serving them with Spiced Meatballs and Pomegranate Gravy, shishkebabs of any sort, or garlicky roasted chicken.

I demonstrated this recipe on Georgian TV earlier today, on Rustavi 2’s “Day Show.” It’s quick, colorful, healthy, and simple to make. (Simple enough to make on live TV without worrying that something will come out wrong!) You can watch the clip below in Georgian and English.

Chicken salad is as popular in Georgia as it is in the US, though Georgians don’t typically put it on sandwiches, as I did on the show. This recipe uses Georgian flavors like pomegranate, cilantro, and walnuts to dress up what might otherwise be a fairly bland dish. I love the clean taste of yogurt here instead of the more traditional mayo, but either will work. You can also play with the herbs: parsley, basil, mint, or tarragon would all fit in well here.

Serve the salad as is, stuff it into a baguette, pita pocket, or wrap, or pile it into hollowed-out tomato halves.

Put the chicken in a pot with enough water to cover the pieces by one inch. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and let cool. Reserve the broth for another use.

Shred the chicken into thin pieces. In a large bowl, mix the chicken with all the other ingredients except the lettuce or other greens. Adjust seasonings to taste. If you have time, cover the bowl and chill the salad in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Serve the salad on a bed of lettuce, arugula, or other greens. For a sandwich, layer the chicken salad and greens on a baguette, stuff inside a pita or roll into a wrap. Alternatively, hollow out halves of tomato and stuff the cups with chicken salad.

Green beans are so often an afterthought, seemingly included only to add a bit of green to a plate dominated by protein and potatoes. Not so here: the natural sweetness of green beans plays off the acidity of the dressing, the smokiness of the roasted tomatoes, and an extra kick from the raw red onions to make this a salad second to no main. Serve it with grilled lamb and tkemali plum sauce, Trout with cilantro-walnut sauce, or alongside Ajaran khachapuri.

1. Arrange a rack in the top slot of the oven and preheat the broiler. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Boil the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5-7 minutes. Drain in a colander and run the green beans under cold water or place them in an ice bath to stop the cooking.

2. Heat the oil for frying in a saute pan. Add the onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, under crisp tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, until very fragrant. Remove from heat.

3. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the tomatoes on it. Broil about 5 minutes, turning once, until the tomatoes blister and begin to fall.

4. Make the dressing: whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes together in a small bowl.

5. Mix the green beans, onions and peppers together in a medium bowl. Add the dressing and stir to combine. Top with roasted cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and very thin slices of raw red onion.

I grew up eating classic Midwestern potato salad, with a healthy glop of mayo and chunks of celery and hard-boiled egg mixed in. It was always on the buffet table at family picnics for summer holidays like Memorial Day and Fourth of July, and even shows up from time to time at Christmas. (When you have to bring a dish large to feed 75 people, potato salad goes a long way.)

I still love that familiar version, but at home I like something with a little more kick to it. This Georgian version is a creation of my own kitchen rather than an adaptation of a traditional Georgian dish (though it wouldn’t be out of place there).

I prefer to keep the skins on the potatoes for the flavor they add, but you can peel the potatoes after you boil them if you like. Experiment with different combinations of herbs. For the most authentically Georgian flavor, seek out the glossy purple “opal” basil, which is sharper and clovier than the green Genovese basil most commonly found in the US.

This salad can easily be made a day ahead of time and stored in the fridge overnight.

1. In a pot, cover the potatoes with an inch or two of cold water and add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender all the way through, around 10-15 minutes. Drain and rinse several times under cool water to stop the cooking. Chop the potatoes into bite-size chunks and transfer them to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the mayonnaise, ½ tsp. salt, black and red pepper, vinegar, scallions, and herbs. Mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste.
3. You can chill the salad at this point if you are making it in advance or prefer to serve it cold. Otherwise, transfer it to a serving dish and sprinkle ground sumac over the top if desired.

You can find this dip throughout the Caucasus and the rest of the former Soviet Union, where it’s often called “eggplant caviar.” Creative branding, to be sure, since it tastes nothing like fish eggs and costs a fraction of the price. Maybe the eggplant seeds reminded someone of sturgeon roe, or eating it made the plebes feel like kings.

I first encountered this dip in Russia, where college students buy it in jars from the grocery store and eat it on slices of dense, tangy black bread with caraway seeds–a sort of Slavic equivalent of a peanut butter sandwich. It even comes in a creamy variety (like this recipe) and a chunky one (more of a salad). Later, I made a variation of it with my friend Inna for her son’s birthday party. Her husband Gena lit up the grill in the backyard, skewered whole eggplants on sharp iron rods, and let them roast over the open flame until they glistened and oozed drippings into the grill box. Inna and her mother-in-law let them cool in a bowl of salted water, then beat the smoky pulp to a smooth paste and added tomatoes, oil, herbs, and spices to make a dipping sauce for the shishkebabs Gena was still grilling out back.

This version is my own. You can mix up the herbs you use, add a squeeze of lemon juice or a drizzle oil over the top of the bowl if you like, or throw in a handful of pomegranate seeds if you really want to play up the caviar analogy.

Prepare the grill or preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the eggplant in several places with a fork and place it on the grill grate or on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper. Grill or bake the eggplant until its skin wrinkles and it collapses into itself. In the oven, this takes about 45 minutes. The flesh should be totally soft by this point. Allow to cool, then scrape out the flesh into the bowl of a food processor.* Discard skin and stem.

Add the other ingredients into the food processor and pulse until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

The one-two punch of garlic and salt melts into the subtle creaminess of eggplant in these addictive little morsels, which can be found on nearly every Georgian restaurant menu. They make a unique appetizer served simply on crackers or bread alongside a glass of red wine, but are rich enough to stand up to heartier fare like grilled pork ribs and cornbread.

Georgians make this dish with Chinese eggplants, which are long and narrow, with thinner skin and sweeter flesh than the elephantine “globe” variety found in most American supermarkets. Either will work for this recipe, but it’s easier to cut and fold the Asian variety, which are sometimes available at farmers’ markets in the US. Ground fenugreek imparts a slightly tart, nutty flavor and is worth seeking out. It can be found in Indian, Persian, and Middle Eastern grocery stores, purchased in small quantities from stores that sell bulk spices, or purchased online at Penzey’s. Georgian utskho suneli (“foreign spice”) also known as blue fenugreek (trigonella caerulea), is less bitter than its Asian counterpart (trigonella foenum graecum), the kind typically sold in the US. Use it in this recipe if you can find it (and let me know where you got it!)

The filling can be made up to three days ahead if stored in the refrigerator. The eggplant slices can be fried the night before combining and serving.

1. In a food processor, grind the walnuts, garlic, vinegar, spices, and water together until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. (Ideally, do this several hours or up to 3 days before you plan to serve the dish, as the flavors benefit from time to meld. Store in the refrigerator if making ahead.)

2. Wash and cut the tops off the eggplants. Do not peel. Cut lengthwise into ½ in.-thick slices.

3. Optional but recommended: Salt the eggplant slices generously and let stand for 1 hour, then press out the dark juice, rinse, and pat dry thoroughly with a kitchen towel or paper towels. This is one common technique for minimizing bitterness in eggplant. Using very fresh eggplants will also cut the risk of bitter flavor.

4. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown eggplant slices on both sides, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan and adding oil as necessary. Wait until both sides have turned golden brown, then remove eggplant slices to a plate lined with paper towels. (They should be floppy, not crisp.) Continue until all slices are fried and set aside to cool.

5. Spread a layer of filling on one side of each eggplant slice and roll up to enclose the filling inside. Arrange the rolls on a platter and sprinkle with fresh herbs, thin-sliced onion, or pomegranate seeds (if desired) to serve. You could also serve the rolls on top of crackers or crostini to make them easier to eat neatly as finger food.

If you imagine a Venn diagram with three overlapping circles signifying dip, spread, and salad, pkhali falls somewhere in the middle. That’s a weird category for many Americans—we don’t quite know what to do with it.

Trust me, though: you’ll understand when you taste it. The garlicky, slightly salty, vinegary kick of this combo is as addictive as chips, yet you can enjoy it entirely without guilt. Georgians simply eat it with a fork or scoop it up with bread or a slice of khachapuri, but I’ve offered several other serving suggestions below as well. If you have time, make it a couple of hours ahead–it benefits from some time to chill in the fridge to let the flavors meld and the garlic mellow.

Spinach spread or dip with walnuts and cilantro (Ispanakhis Pkhali)Serves a crowd as an appetizer

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the spinach, stirring to submerge the leaves and make room for more. One all the spinach has wilted (about 3 minutes), drain the hot water and run cold water over the spinach. When the spinach is cool, squeeze out as much water as you can. (This is most effectively done by squeezing it, a chunk at a time, between your hands or in your fists.) Put the spinach in the bowl of a food processor or chop it very finely with a large knife and place in a bowl.

Add the rest of the ingredients except the pomegranate seeds to the spinach and mix well. If you are using a food processor, puree the mixture lightly. (It should still be thick enough to roll into balls.) Adjust seasonings to taste. If possible, chill the pkhali in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Serving suggestions:

Spread on crostini or baguette slices and garnish each with a few pomegranate seeds

Serve as a dip with pita chips, crackers, or crispy vegetables. Mix in the pomegranate seeds or leave them on top. For a creamy dip, mix pkhali with yogurt in equal parts.

Use as a sandwich spread with mozzarella cheese and tomato slices or roast chicken and red leaf lettuce

Form the mixture into small balls (about ¾ inch in diameter), garnish with a few pomegranate seeds on top of each, and serve with khachapuri or mchadi (fried corn cakes).

(Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on my personal blog, Eat with Pleasure, in 2013.)

Walnuts candied in honey are traditionally enjoyed on New Year’s Eve and throughout the holiday season in Georgia. (Most Georgians who celebrate Christmas do so on January 7, when it falls according to the Orthodox Church (Julian) calendar.) The crisp brittle keeps well and doesn’t require too much space in stomachs already stretched from days of feasting. When I make gozinaki, I like to mix the walnuts with hazelnuts, pecans, or almonds and use single-flower honey to lend each batch a distinctive character. As the honey caramelizes, it fills the house with its warm, sweet perfume, somewhere between orange blossoms and gingerbread. By the time I’ve turned the brittle onto my cutting board to cool, everyone is already waiting by the kitchen door, clambering for a piece.

Snack on a square of this to get you through the mid-afternoon slump at work, pair it with a shot of espresso for a sweet treat you won’t feel guilty about eating, or bring a bag of it along on your next hiking trip to keep you energized.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil and bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Allow to cool slightly, then coarsely chop the nuts. (It is best to roast nuts whole and chop them later, because pre-chopped pieces burn easily. Warm nuts are also easier to chop without shards flying everywhere.)

Heat the honey and sugar in a heavy-bottomed skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. (It will look like soap suds.) Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring frequently. (The sugar is there to help the brittle set.)

Add the chopped nuts and ¼ tsp. of sea salt to the boiling honey. Let the mixture come back up to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts become very sticky and the honey thickens and turns a tawny brown color. Depending on the thickness of your pan and the heat of your stove, this should take about 7-10 minutes. Be careful not to let the nuts burn as they cook, nor the honey smoke.

Turn the honey-nut mixture out onto a moistened cutting board. Spread the nuts into a ½ inch thick layer with a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ tsp. of sea salt on top. Allow to cool ten minutes, then chop into pieces of whatever size you desire. (Diamonds are traditional.) Transfer them to a plate or another hard surface, sticky sides up, and allow to cool completely—the brittle will harden as it cools. Store in an airtight container or in the freezer.